The present invention relates to an arrangement in a ram-up machine for moulds for metal casting comprising:                a squeeze plate carrying a first mould pattern        a horizontally movable piston for operating the squeeze plate and a finished mould block,        a sand supply system        a swing plate carrying a second mould pattern, the swing plate is configured to be translatorily movable in a horizontal direction to a released position and further to be pivotable upwardly to a sidestep position.        
The present invention relates also to a method for ramming up moulds for metal casting in a vertical parting surface ram-up machine comprising:                after completing a squeeze of a mould block for metal casting, the mould block is pushed to an intermediate position, a swing plate carrying a second mould pattern is separated from the mould block by a translatory move to a released position and then pivoted upwardly to a sidestep position,        the mould block is pushed out of the ram-up machine by horizontally movable piston operating the squeeze plate carrying a first mould pattern,        after pushing the mould block out, the squeeze plate returns to an initial position to be ready for mould sand to be supplied,        the swing plate is pivoted downwardly to the released position and then moved translatory to a ram-up position,        the mould sand forming the mould block is supplied to a space formed between the squeeze plate located in the initial position and the swing plate located in the ram-up position,        the squeeze plate and/or swing plate are moved toward each others so that the loose mould sand is rammed up or compressed to form the mould block.        
This invention thus relates to mould preparation for metal casting where the parting surface of the mould is vertical. This is one of the many options available in casting and it is particularly suitable for certain shape of products, especially for those being rather small in size, having a rather simple shape and having a kind of “planar like” overall shape. Also if there is an one end supported core needed in the casting, this vertical parting may be the only choice to achieve a successful result. Properties or parameters or types of sand and additives used in this preparation of mould block are not discussed in this disclosure, there are plenty of different variations to select among and it belongs to knowledge of professionals within this area to select a suitable sand and additives.
One principle in metal casting is that the solidifying of molten metal must be controlled is such a way that there are no unwanted shrinkage voids in the casting. In vertical parting surface casting this is normally achieved by designing an extra feeding sleeve so that molten metal flows properly to all parts of the cavity. If an extra supply of molten metal is needed in some part of the casting, a feeding sleeve is normally designed to supply the molten metal to that place. However, if there are too many feeding sleeves around the actual casting piece, the removal of these not part of the product—pieces may require excessive amount of work and thus decrease the profitability.